Scathing resignation letter not related to byelection campaign: former district president

The former Progressive Conservative district association president for Conception Bay East-Bell Island says a blistering resignation letter he sent to the party has nothing to do with his decision to run as an Independent in the district's upcoming byelection.

Almost two months ago, Darryl Harding sent a letter to the PC party accusing Leader Tony Wakeham of cherry-picking the party's candidate, Tina Neary, whom he currently works with as a town councillor for Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.

"No candidate from any other party, my feelings about those candidates, or my feelings about those parties played any role in my final decision to offer myself in this byelection," said Harding, one of four candidates in the Jan. 29 byelection. 

Harding didn't mince his words in the letter, accusing Wakeham of choosing a supporter of his as the byelection candidate and saying he surrounds himself with "incompetent" advisors. He also said PC leaders have surrounded themselves with "lackeys" and "yes-men" for the past 15 years.

But, he says he doesn't want any of that to become an election issue. The letter was supposed to be internal, and despite his strong language and pointed criticisms, he says he expected it would stay within the party.

In an interview with CBC News, he said he didn't want to discuss the letter further because he thinks it would "hurt the party and it would hurt the candidate."

"I'll address all of this after the election because it's unfair," said Harding.

Harding says he initially wasn't planning on running because he wanted to fulfill his four-year commitment to the people that voted him onto Portugal Cove-St. Philip's town council, and he didn't want to burden the town with the cost of a municipal byelection if he were to win.

After posting about his intentions not to run on social media, he says many people reached out to him, including those who are "politically astute," telling him that as an MHA, he could continue to help both his municipality and other districts.

Harding says he reconsidered, and if he's "lucky enough" to win, he'll shell out cash from his MHA salary to pay the town back for the cost of a byelection.

Although he says there's disadvantages running as an Independent, Harding says he spent a lot of time — around 15 years — working closely with former interim PC leader David Brazil, someone he says he loves and is a "salt of the earth person."

Brazil, who had been interim leader of the PCs for two and a half years, held the metro-area seat as a Tory stronghold from 2010 until the end of 2023. 

Also competing in the byelection are Liberal Fred Hutton, a senior aide to Premier Andrey Furey, and New Democrat Kim Churchill, a human rights advocate well-known for fighting for rights of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. 

Harding says he has a chance to win the byelection because of the connections he's made throughout the district, and through his "acts of social activities, if you will, and supporting people."